This Is Who I Am
by DRAMA is SO DRAMATIC
Summary: Elizabeth wants to be an artist, but her grandmother has other plans for her. Will Audrey ever find it in her heart to let Elizabeth live her life the way that she wants to or will they forever be at odds when it comes to the matters of Elizabeth's heart? With her grandmother being the only true family she has, can Elizabeth really go against her heart to satisfy her Gram forever?
1. Chapter 1

Nervous to the bone, pacing back and forth in her small bedroom, Elizabeth Webber contemplates one of the most important conversations she'll ever have with her grandmother thus far. For the last ten years, her grandmother has been her rock, the only source of family support that she has ever been blessed with, to have this conversation with her now...there was just no way of knowing what the fallout would be.

"Gram?" she voices tentatively, inching her way into the living room, successfully gaining the elder woman's attention.

"Elizabeth, dear, come sit." Audrey Hardy motions for her to sit beside her. "There's something I've been wanting to share with you."

"That's funny because I've been wanting to share something with you, too." Elizabeth replies, making her venture to the couch a slow, careful one. "Its something that's really important to me."

"Which I'm certain I'd love to hear about." Audrey smiles that soft, grandmother smile, patting the spot beside her. "But age before beauty, sweetheart."

Obeying her grandmother, she takes the offered seat and patiently sits by as her grandmother shows her a stethoscope that looked older than she was. The moment the item came into view, Elizabeth knew she was in for another lecture on their family's connection to the medical field that spanned generations and how she will soon take her rightful place along side the rest of her family.

"Gram..." she tries, desperately needing to say what she needed to say before she lost all traces of courage that she possessed.

"I've spoken to Mr. Cassadine and he's so glad to have you join the candy strippers." her gram boasts, the bright smile gracing her delicate face.

"Gram." she says with more weight, gaining her grandmother's condition. "Can I have the floor now?"

"Sure, my dear." Audrey sets the stethoscope down, turning to look at Elizabeth, showing that her granddaughter had her full attention. "I am all ears."

"Okay...well, you know how I love to paint and sketch, right?" Elizabeth takes a deep breath before handing her grandmother a pamphlet. "Well, there's a new art school opening up and there's an early enrollment scheduled for next week. I spoke to the owner and he thinks I'm a shoe in for a spot on their roster."

"Elizabeth, sweetheart, I know that art is a great hobby, but its just that...a hobby." Audrey hands her the pamphlet back. "You have to stay focused if you want your dreams to come true."

"But, Gram..."

"No buts." Audrey shakes her head. "I know it can be tempting to want to stray and take your hobbies to another level, but you have to be more realistic than that. Your future is in the medical field, like we have discussed on more than one occasion. Trust me, sweetheart, you'll thank me one day for this."

"I really want to do this, Gram."

"I know you feel that way now, but I'm looking at the big picture." Audrey rises to her feet. "Now enough about this trivial idea. I have to be heading to the hospital. Will you be having dinner at the Quartermaines tonight?"

"Yes, Gram." Elizabeth concedes, smiling slightly. "Emily says I can sleep over if you have to stay late."

"That's awfully nice of her." Audrey smiles, shaking her head, believing that the topic has been successfully dropped. "You can stay with them if you want and I will see you first thing in the morning."

"Yes, Gram." Elizabeth rises to her feet to hug her grandmother goodbye.

"I love you, sweetheart." Audrey places a soft kiss upon her forehead. "Be safe."

Watching her grandmother walk out of the room, she listens for the opening and closing of the front door before plopping down onto the couch, unable to believe how unbelievable horrible that went. If only her grandmother could see how important her art was to her. That it wasn't just a mere hobby, but her entire passion in life. Her dream.

"She just shot you down?" Emily looks at her in disbelief. "Did she even give you a chance to explain the great things about this school?"

"No." Elizabeth sighs, laying on her stomach, flipping through a magazine. "She didn't give me a chance to explain anything...she was all about me being a doctor."

"That sucks." Emily shakes her head. "So...does that mean you aren't applying?"

"I don't know." she admits, looking at her best friend. "On the one hand, all my dreams will begin if I enroll, but - on the other hand - it'll break my gram's heart if I do."

"That's a tough call."

"You're telling me." Elizabeth rolls over onto her back, taking a deep breath. "What am I supposed to do now?"


	2. Chapter 2

Slipping into her candy striper's outfit, Elizabeth stares at herself in her full length mirror, unable to believe that she was wearing this ridiculous outfit. She used to make fun of girls that were forced to wear the ever bright red and white outfit. As if the color wasn't bad enough, it just had to look like the stripes of the flag. She hates stripes.

Checking her watch, she decides that there's no use in delaying the inevitable and heads downstairs to be taken to her candy stripper shift. Meeting her grandmother at the front door, she allows the polite smile to grace her lips before thanking her grandmother for the compliments that she was given about her outfit.

"Oh my god, you look..."

"Don't say it, Emily." Elizabeth says, a vibrant warning shining through her words. "I swear, don't."

"Okay." Emily holds her hands up. "I won't say it, but damn."

"I know." Elizabeth sighs, pushing the cart in front of her. "I hate it."

"Its not...well, its not that bad."

"You suck at lying, you know that, right?" Elizabeth counters, stopping outside one of the rooms. "I'll just see you after my shift."

"Whatever you say." Emily shakes her head in agreement, still unable to get used to Elizabeth in the candy stripper outfit. "Have fun."

"Sure."

Watching her friend walk towards the elevators, Elizabeth sighs before putting on her polite smile and walking into the room to take care of the next patient on her list. If she lives to survive this day, Elizabeth swears she'll give herself a medal for getting through it with a smile.

All her patients so far have seemed pretty much the same, nothing really standing out about any of them and that was saying something. A part of her wondered if she looked like that when she landed in the hospital a few years back. Maybe.

"Hey, pretty lady."

"Lucky." Elizabeth smiles slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Audrey told me you were here." he says simply, smirking his seductive smile. "She figured I'd like to know you started as a candy striper."

"Of course she did." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Well, I have to get back to work..."

"I know." he gently tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be picking you up after your shift. We'll have dinner at Eli's."

"I'm actually meeting up with Emily after..."

"Cancel." Lucky says with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll be back after your shift...and if I haven't said it already, you look real pretty in that outfit."

"Lucky..." she tries to protest, but he doesn't turn around or acknowledge that she had spoken. "Just great."

With a sigh, she continues her way through her list, making it into each room on the floor and conversing with patients before handing them a book and moving on. Some of the patients were brighter than others, but overall they're all pretty much okay.

"Good afternoon, my name is Elizabeth."

"I know who you are." the patient says simply.

"You do?" Elizabeth looks at him curiously, trying to figure out how she could possibly forget a man that looked like him.

"You're my sister's best friend." he looks her up and down before settling on her face. "What's with the outfit?"

"My gram made me join the candy stripers." she admits, walking over to him. "So...you're Jason?"

"Last time I checked."

"Emily's told me a lot about you." she rifles through the books on her cart before pulling one out of her bag. "From what she told me, I'm guessing you could appreciate this book."

"Guidebook to Italy." Jason shakes his head. "Didn't think the hospital had guidebooks in stock."

"They don't." she concedes, slightly blushing. "Its mine."

"You read guidebooks?"

"Yeah." she smiles at the look of surprise that flashes through his features before it disappears. "I plan on travelling the world. Reading guidebooks is a good way to figure out where I'd like to go."

For a long moment, they simply stare at each other, sizing each other up in a way before the door opens up and a blonde woman comes rushing into the room. Shaking his head, he turns to look at the woman, giving Elizabeth the out to leave the room.

"Elizabeth." he calls to her, making her stop in the doorway. "Thanks for the book."

"No problem." Elizabeth turns to smile at him. "Maybe you can lend me one of yours someday."

"Sure." he shakes his head. "Pick a country."

"Um...Egypt." she says after a moment. "I'd really love to read up on Egypt."

"You got it." he says without hesitation. "See you around."

"Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Leaving Jason's room, Elizabeth could have sworn that the blonde woman was grilling Jason on who she was, only using really twisted words to describe her. She had half a mind to walk back into the room and question the woman's right to call her names, but she thought better of it and kept walking.

"Who was she, Jason?"

"Carly, enough." Jason pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "She's just a candy stripper."

"Just a candy striper?" Carly scoffs, looking at him sternly. "You wouldn't give just any candy striper one of your coveted guidebooks. Who is she?!"

"She's a candy striper!" Jason snaps, taking a deep breath. "She's also Emily's best friend."

"Emily, huh?" Carly shakes her head. "Was that so hard? Sheesh, Jason."

"Why are you here?" he questions firmly, looking at her with his infamous blank look.

"Sonny told me you got hurt." Carly defends herself. "When he told me you were in the hospital, Jason, I wanted to strangle him! What's he trying to do? Get you arrested?"

"A tire blew on my bike." Jason states. "Why in the world would I be arrested for that?"

"How do you know it was as simple as that?" she challenges, looking at him seriously. "What if someone shot out your tire, huh? What if this is some kind of warning?"

"Carly..."

"You never know, Jason." she insists. "And stupid Sonny has you laying in a hospital bed like a sitting duck!"

"Carly!" he states bitingly. "Enough!"

"I, honestly, just don't see why you couldn't use your private doctor. Is that what you keep one for?" Carly huffs, plopping down on the chair. "Did they say when they'll be letting you out of here?"

"This isn't prison." Jason shakes his head, wondering why he even bothered. "I can leave whenever I want."

"Great!" she shoots up from the chair. "Lets get out of here then."

"He said when he wants." a voice speaks from the doorway. "Not when you want, Carly."

"Emily." Carly says through gritted teeth. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Obviously." Emily says simply, turning to look at her brother. "Hey, big brother."

"Hey, Em." Jason says before turning to Carly. "Go home. I'm fine. I'll be out of here when I feel like it."

"But..." Carly tries to protest.

"Go, Carly." he says seriously, eyeing her firmly.

"Fine." Carly snaps, snatching up her things before walking out of the room.

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Just followed Carly's big mouth." Emily shrugs, walking over to kiss his cheek. "What happened?"

"A tire blew out on my bike when I hit the winding road." he says simply, gesturing for her to sit. "Its nothing for you to worry about."

"Good to know." she smiles slightly, used to her brother's tendency to reassure her. "I see you've met Elizabeth."

"Oh, yeah." he shakes his head, realizing what she was referring to. "She lent it to me."

"Sounds like something she'd do." she nods her head, a new thought popping into mind. "Mind if I hangout here until she's done with her shift?"

"Not at all."

Hanging out with her brother, catching him up on all the changes in her life since they last truly spoke, Emily leaves him to his own accord once the time comes to meet up with Elizabeth. As the door shuts behind her, Jason lifts up the guidebook, smiling slightly at all the little scribbles along the pages. Obviously, Elizabeth had spent a great deal of time reading the travel book to make so many small notes.

"Whoa, easy on the arm!" Emily blurts out, laughing as Elizabeth jabs at the buttons on the elevator. "Where's the fire?"

"Lucky's gonna be here any minute." Elizabeth takes a deep breath, leaning against the back of the elevator. "Apparently we have a date tonight."

"Wow." Emily shakes her head. "The guy just doesn't give up, does he?"

"He can't take no for an answer either." she sighs, running one hand through her hair, pulling Emily out of the elevator once the doors open. "We have to be gone before he gets here."

"Whatever you say, runaway bride."

"Don't even joke."


	4. Chapter 4

Laying flat on her stomach, all her homework laid out in front of her, Elizabeth couldn't help the sigh that escapes her lips. If only her grandmother would change her mind about the art school. Things would be so much different than they are now. Sure, the work load would be more than she's used to, but the added work load would be something she enjoyed. Art.

"Come in." she calls out when there's a knock on the door, the sight of her grandmother prompts her to move into a sitting position. "Gram."

"Can I have a word?" Audrey requests, shutting the door behind her before walking over to sit by Elizabeth.

"Of course." she says without any hesitation, giving her gram her entire attention.

"I was at the market this morning where I happened across Laura Spencer, you know, Lucky's mother."

"Yes, I remember Mrs. Spencer."

"Well, I had asked about Lucky, as I usually do, and to my surprise she tells me that your dinner plans yesterday fell through." Audrey looks at her with that expectant look. The look that expects an iron clad excuse. "Care to explain?"

"I apologized to him profusely, grandmother, but it was a last minute's notice and I had already promised Emily that I'd meet up with her after my shift." Elizabeth tries to explain, it may not be enough, but it was the truth.

"I figured it was something like that." Audrey shakes her head. "That's why I set something up for the two of you for tonight."

"But its a school night..." she tries to protest, but her grandmother would have none of it.

"You'll have to stop long enough for dinner." she counters with ease. "You'll have dinner with that young man and he'll drop you back with enough time to finish your studies."

"But gram..."

"That's enough out of you, young lady." Audrey states with authority, pulling open her door. "The Spencers have been a long standing friend to our family and you will treat them as such. Be ready by seven o'clock."

"Yes, grandmother." Elizabeth concedes, watching her grandmother walk out of her room with an air of superiority. "Someone kill me now."

Returning her focus to her homework, Elizabeth prays for something to happen that'll get her out of having to sit through an entire dinner with Lucky Spencer. It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so damn full of himself. Everything he does or says, he's just so sure of himself that no one else even matters. What he says goes. At least, that's what his parents raised him to believe.

"Elizabeth." Lucky smiles that smug smile of his, standing at the front door of her gram's house. "You look real beautiful tonight."

"That's so sweet of you to say, Lucky." her gram says before she has a chance to say anything. "Don't you think so, Elizabeth?"

"Of course, gram." Elizabeth replies, stepping off the final step of the stairs. "That's sweet of him to say."

"Well, you two kids have fun." Audrey says, opening the door for them. "I expect you back home by nine, Elizabeth."

"She'll be back on time." Lucky assures Audrey, ushering Elizabeth out of the house. "I assure you, ma'am."

"I know she will be." Audrey shakes her head. "I trust you to see to that."

The entire drive from her house to Eli's was unbearably all about Lucky. His plans to run his father's blue's club once he's out of high school, possibly changing it up to be more his style. It was the longest drive of her entire life and she's had to suffer through family trips with her sister, Sarah. That's saying a lot.

"Stooping to hiding in the bathroom?" Emily's voice prompts her to open her eyes and look at her through the mirror. "How'd he rope you into dinner?"

"Gram." she sighs, wiping the water from her face before turning to look at her friend. "He's killing me slowly."

"I can imagine." Emily smiles slightly. "You could always take the hospital route."

"Yeah...that'll work." Elizabeth says sarcastically. "My gram's a nurse. One look at my chart and she'll never let me live this down."

"Okay...so, maybe, the hospital route won't work this time." Emily concedes, thinking it through. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Yeah. I suffer through this dinner and pray it never happens again." Elizabeth sighs, fixing her purse strap. "We'll talk tomorrow?"

"Call me tonight." Emily hugs her friend. "I'll wait up."

"Okay."

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth walks out of the bathroom to endure the rest of her dinner with Lucky. Nine o'clock couldn't possibly take that long to get there. It just couldn't. Taking her seat across from Lucky, she braces herself for the rest of his all-about-me speech. Hoping someone put her out of her misery sooner rather than later.


	5. Chapter 5

Having to stay up most of the night to finish her homework, Elizabeth barely got enough sleep to get through school, much less candy striper duties. Going straight from school to the hospital, she swore that she'll find a way to make the Spencers pay for putting her through this. Them and their stupid connection to her family.

"You okay?" a voice catches her by surprise, making her turn in surprise.

"Jason." she breathes a breath of relief, relaxing. "What are you doing up here?"

"Needed a breath of fresh air." he admits, making his way over to her with the crutches. "What about you?"

"Same." she admits, leaning against the railing. "I'm pretty much running on fumes and I was hoping that some fresh air would help wake me up."

"Didn't get much sleep last night?"

"Had a lot of homework." she shrugs, running her hands through her hair. "Which would have been fine if my Gram didn't force me into having dinner with Lucky Spencer."

"Why do you let her control you like that?"

"Excuse me?"

"She makes you join the candy stripers, which you obviously don't like." he points out. "And now you go on a date with a guy you obviously don't like because she tells you to."

"That's strange." she counters. "Emily told me that you don't talk that much."

"I talk when I have something to say." he says simply, leaning against the railing after he sets his crutches aside. "Its your life...you shouldn't let anyone tell you how to live it."

"She's the only family I have."

"I get that." he shakes his head. "The only family I have is Emily and my grandmother."

"So you can understand my desire to keep her in my life." Elizabeth counters, smiling slightly. "If I lose her...what do I have left?"

"Your life." he says with conviction. "I know its hard to cut ties, but can you really be happy with living by someone else's rules?"

"Well, if you put it that way..." she sighs, shaking her head. "I guess not."

"Emily told me about you, too." Jason admits, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "She said that you like to make people happy, but there's no way to make everyone happy."

"I know that."

"So...if you can't make everyone happy..." Jason smiles slightly. "Shouldn't you focus on making yourself happy?"

"Maybe."

"I should get back inside." he releases his hold on her hand, settling back on his crutches. "Will you be coming by my room?"

"I have a couple rooms before yours, but yes...I'll be by your room."

"See you inside then."

Watching him walk into the hospital, she smiles slightly before looking down at the hand that he had been holding only moments before. She had never had anyone treat her the way he just did. Filled with both gentleness and understanding. It's something she could definitely get used to.

Making her way back inside after a few minutes, she makes her way through the last rooms on her list before she finally gets to Jason's room. She was almost to his room when the blonde breezes out of the room, clearly upset, but she wouldn't dare to guess why that was.

"Hey." he greets her, moving into a sitting position when she walks into the room.

"Hey." she greets back, closing the door behind her before walking over to his bed. "I didn't get a chance to ask how you were doing?"

"I'm getting better." he assures her. "What about you?"

"I haven't fallen asleep in one of the rooms yet, so I'm good." she smiles slightly. "I found a book you might like."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." she pulls it out before handing it to him. "Its an animal facts book."

"Thanks." he smiles slightly, setting the book on the side table before handing Elizabeth her guidebook. "I hope you don't mind, but I made a few notes of my own."

"Really?" she looks at him curiously before flipping through a couple pages, finding his notes written over each page. "Wow...I can't wait to read them."

"I've been there a couple times." he admits, smiling slightly when she looks at him with a mixture of surprise and intrigue. "I just thought I'd write down some of experiences in case you do go there."

"Maybe you can tell me about it sometime." she counters, slipping her book into her bag. "I'd really love to hear about it."

"Maybe I will."

"Okay." she shakes her head. "Well, I should get going."

"See you soon?"

"Yeah." she assures, pulling the door open. "See you soon."

Getting home after her shift with the candy stripers, Elizabeth tosses her book bag on the side, deciding that she'll get to her homework soon enough. Firstly, she wants to read through Jason's notes, wondering what he could possibly have filled her book with.

Laying on her stomach, she turns on some soft music before reading through all the notes that he made in her book. More than anything, the facts were fascinating, knowing that he had actually been there and experienced it all first hand. She couldn't help but hope she gets the chance to experience all the things he did. That she makes it to Italy. The heart of the art world.


End file.
